Who are mandated reporters in Vermont?

What is my legal obligation to report?

If you reasonably suspect child abuse or neglect, you are legally required to make a report to our Family Services Division (FSD) — within 24 hours of the time you first received or observed information about the suspected abuse/neglect.

Save the form on your computer and complete it as a fillable form (if your browser does not support fillable forms, try another one)

Fax your completed report to (802) 241-3301.

What information may be shared with me?

If you are a mandated reporter, we can share the following with you:

Whether your report was accepted as a valid allegation of abuse or neglect

Whether an assessment was conducted and, if so, whether a need for services was found

Whether an investigation was conducted and, if so, whether it resulted in a substantiation

Upon request, we may also provide you with relevant information and records related to a report you made if you have an ongoing working relationship with the child or family who is the subject of the report. You may not share this information with any person not authorized to get it.

What is my liability?

Vermont law provides you with immunity from civil or criminal liability if your report was made in good faith. However:

Failing to report as required by law can result in criminal prosecution with a fine of up to $500

Failing to report as required by law with the intent to conceal the abuse or neglect can result in imprisonment for up to six months and a fine of up to $1,000

What about HIPAA?

The HIPAA privacy rule allows covered organizations to disclose protected health information to report suspected child abuse or neglect to government authorities authorized by law to receive such reports.

Is my report confidential?

We will not divulge your identity unless:

You give us your permission to do so

Your report leads to a court or human services board proceeding

A court finds probable cause to believe your report was not made in good faith and orders DCF to divulge your identity

The person substantiated for abuse requests a review of the decision, and we determine that identifying information about you can be provided without compromising your safety